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Game Preview: Brigham Young Cougars vs. Colorado State Rams

The Brigham Young Cougars achieved several firsts in last week’s game. They will be trying to achieve another first this week—win on the road.

It has been exactly one year since BYU last won on the road (November 14, 2009, game 10, at New Mexico 24-19). In fact, the winless road record directly contrasts the perfect 5-0 record BYU posted last year on the road. Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall said, "To make a phantom out of playing on the road, that it's bigger than it is, I'm not going to do that." That is the right decision.

BYU played very well at Air Force for the first 20 minutes. In Tallahassee, the Cougars had all the momentum and trailed the Seminoles only 13-10 at half. The defense played possibly its best game at TCU. Turnovers (Air Force), poor tackling and offensive line play (Florida State), and playing a better opponent (TCU) explain why BYU lost these games much better than saying it was the road environment. The only time BYU has really looked bad on the road was up in Logan.

This game will come down to the battle between BYU’s offense and Colorado State’s defense. Both have been mediocre this season. BYU exploded for 55 points last week, but prior to that had not scored more than 24 offensive points all season. Colorado State has allowed, on average, over 32 points per game. However, they “held” TCU to 27 points. A good game plan and players full of emotion could give the BYU offense trouble.

The Colorado State offense has been anemic at times this year. Anytime they have played a formidable defense they have been held to single digit points. The “new” BYU defense should keep the Rams below 10 points this week.

Things to watch for:

Pressuring the QB. Last year, Utah QB Jordan Wynn started 7 for 7 against BYU. BYU was making him look like a seasoned vet. Then the BYU D hit him a few times, and Wynn started playing the way most true freshmen play—really bad. The BYU defense needs to set the tone early and knock CSU QB Peter Thomas around. This will get in his mind and mess up his rhythm.

BYU Passing Game. I have been guardedly optimistic about what we saw Jake Heaps and his receivers do last Saturday. Are we going to see the same thing regularly now, or was it a by product of playing UNLV? The Rams kept San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley in check last week. BYU will need the pass game to be relevant for a win this week.

Stopping the run. BYU has allowed an average of 61.5 rushing yards per game the last four games. This trend will probably continue. Colorado State is 96th in the country in rushing offense with 121 yards per game.

Comments

"I have been guardedly optimistic about what we saw Jake Heaps and his receivers do last Saturday."

Well said, and expresses my own thoughts perfectly. I'm optimistic about what happened, but we can't assume after that game that Jake Heaps and the BYU offense have arrived. I do not expect to see that same kind of production this week, but I think we should see an improved and productive passing game (compared to before the bye). I hope to see between 150-200 passing yards, with at least one passing touchdown. My hope is that the offense will still use the run to establish the pass and have a "run first" mentality.

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BYU football has been pretty hard to watch in 2017, particularly on offense. After game two, a 27-0 loss to LSU, Head Coach Kalani Sitake said, "I know I am coming down hard on the offense, but, man, let's be honest, that was the issue." The offensive production hasn't gotten much better since, and Sitake hasn't changed his rhetoric.

Who would blame him? BYU is averaging 9.8 points per game, 4.3 yards per play (3.2 yards per rush and 5.2 yards per pass), and 221.75 total yards per game. The Cougar offense has converted just 34 percent of third downs, has averaged 23:47 time of possession, and has a 93.7 pass efficiency rating.

That has some fans speculating that one or more coaches will be fired before the end of the season. That is madness. No one on the BYU coaching staff will be unemployed before the game at Hawaii on November 25.

Making a coaching change midseason is reserved for exceptional cases. Either something happens off the field, or the same problem …

Growing up a fan of BYU football was fun. The foundation had already been laid with the 1984 National Championship, the long list of All-American quarterbacks, and the reputation of being an unstoppable offensive powerhouse. I witnessed Ty Detmer win the Heisman Trophy, Steve Young win Super Bowl MVP honors, and the legendary LaVell Edwards build a team that won the Cotton Bowl and could compete with any team in the country.

It wasn't long ago that Max Hall delivered on his passionate halftime guarantee, "We're going to win," and beat the number 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The Cougars did it without running back Harvey Unga, who would set the school's career rushing record later that year.

At that time BYU was on the bubble of busting the BCS every year, and with the legacy that Cougar football has, fans were justified in believing their beloved Cougars were still among the top tier in college football.

The 2017 football season is three games old for BYU. The Cougars have already been shutout once, they have not passed for more than 200 yards in a game, and have no real established playmakers. That is a formula for furious fans in Cougar Nation.

Some fans are calling for a coaching change. Others are preaching patience. A third group wants the offensive coaches to run a different scheme.

It is no secret that offensive coordinator Ty Detmer is not trying to run the same scheme he used as a player at BYU to rewrite the NCAA record book. The offense he wants to run resembles what he learned during his 14 seasons in the NFL.

Lackluster results this year has this approach under scrutiny. After all, Tanner Mangum does not look like the same quarterback who passed for 3,377 yards, 23 touchdowns, and had a 136 pass efficiency rating in Robert Anae's offense as a freshman.

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